Special thanks to Gigis Cupcakes who provided the cupcakes for this event. All opinions are 100% mine.

This past weekend I helped throw a bridal shower for my beautiful older sister, Danielle. While going through this process of co-hosting as sister and Matron of Honor, I narrowed down 6 steps to share that helped make this the perfect bridal shower.

1.) THEME

Picking a theme sets the tone for the shower, and will keep it a memorable experience for all. Try to pick something relevant to the bride, whether it’s based on a favorite motif, location, the Bride’s heritage, or simply color scheme.

For Danielle, we went with a girly Paris themed bridal shower (based on a sister trip we took to Paris) which was complimented with black, pale pinks, and white details. Choosing a color scheme and sticking to it also helps tie together the theme.

Many times you can find a Groupon or similar daily deal for places like Zazzle or Vistaprint. Also, if you’ve narrowed down the style and aren’t crunched for time, make sure to signup for emails from that site so you can purchase when a promo is running. If it’s around the holidays, there will be really discounted promotions for Holiday Cards, which you can really use for any cards, such as shower invites (I’ve seen up to 75% off!).

We went with this fleur de lis invite from Zazzle, which matched the banner you saw in the picture above.

3.) THEMED FOOD

We hired a local caterer, and selected menu items to go with a Parisian theme. The menu included a variety of mini croissant sandwiches, cheese and fruit, baked brie, stuffed mushrooms, and mini quiches.

4.) SHOWSTOPPING DESSERT!

Let’s be honest. Women LOVE dessert…so make it memorable! I dedicated an entire table to really highlight the dessert, and put it in the location where we planned to open presents – right next to the Bride’s chair. My friends at Gigi’s Cupcakes in Orlando provided an awesome mix of full-size and mini cupcakes, creating a fun “Eiffel” cupcake tower! Guests were literally salivating over these gorgeous cupcakes.

Beautiful cupcakes can really help make any event memorable, and are a fun alternative to cake. Gigi’s Cupcakes has multiple locations in more than 22 states, and you can easily place an order online! Find your nearest Gigi’s location here.

5.) GAMES AND ACTIVITES

The wonderful bridesmaids focused on a series of games/activities, giving away Paris themed prizes. We spread out them out throughout the event, so people were entertained from start to finish.

Unique Guest Book: In lieu of a traditional guest book, we did something a little more creative. As guests entered, we took their photo and they were directed to write a note to the bride. Afterwards, we’ll mount the photo of each guest along with their note in the custom Paris notebook.

Newlywed Trivia Game: This is a funny activity for the group to watch and learn a little more about the bride and groom. Before the shower, we asked the groom a series of questions about their relationship and had his answers prepared. At the shower, Danielle was surprised with the series of questions, and had to answer them out loud to the group. For ever question she got wrong, we made her chew bubble gum until she had a whole cheek full!

Love Song Game: Guests were tasked with writing down as many songs they could think of that had the word “love” in the title. The one with the most answers won. The hitch? The winner had to sing a line or two from each song to prove they knew it!

Purse Game: This is a classically fun game. A list of random items were put on a sheet with a point value association. The more unique the item, the more points. Guests rummaged through their purses and marked off what was in it. The one with the most points won!

Slideshow: The groom actually surprised my sister with a beautiful slideshow for all to watch at the shower! It definitely made her shed a few tears. 🙂

6.) DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS!

It’s the little details that will help keep your theme together and make this something guests will remember. Since we were going with a Parisian theme, we used Eiffel Towers, fleur de lis, “ooh la las,” and “amour” motifs. The banner in the first picture (from Vistaprint) helped personalize the party to Danielle, and became a great photo spot. Checkout a few other details:

Paris box to hold the utensils.

“Amour” matching stickers put on lollipops or peppermint patties (inset in moss covered Styrofoam) add a pop of color to the favor table.

Macaroon jewelry boxes for favors!

I ordered these adorable macaroon jewelry boxes from PricewiseFavors. They came already packaged in a cute box with a french saying “Pour Vous Avec L’Amour,” (For You with Love).

We setup a drink station with a silver punch fountain, champagne, wine, sodas and lemonade.

To tie together the theme, we printed pictures from our sister trip to Paris and put in frames all over the party.

The bride paid attention to details as well, looking beautiful with an etsy flower hair accessory, neutral and blush outfit, pearl accents, and a flawless hairdo.

What steps would you add to throw the ultimate bridal shower? What bridal shower themes and games/activities do you love?

Also, make sure to follow Gigi’s on Facebook and Twitter for all your cupcake dreams! 🙂

I’d been wearing glasses/contacts for 18 years now, and was basically blind without them. I’m talking a prescription of -7 and thick, embarrassing glasses for a ten-year old. I temporarily remedied my “blindness” by turning to contacts and finally finding the CUTEST pair of hipster nerdy eyeglasses around. However, I was still constantly falling asleep in my contacts (bad!), and as Hubby liked to joke, would be handicapped if a zombie apocalypse occurred (yep, we’re fans of the TV show The Walking Dead). So I decided to take action, and finally get LASIK. Oh, and there’s a video! Uh huh, reeeeaddd onnn.

I went withHunter Vision out of the RDV in Orlando, Florida for several reasons. I knew people who had gone to Dr. Hunter and had a great experience. I also liked the staff, and got a great deal by locking in a last minute appointment! But aside from that, their equipment is top-of-the line and Dr. Hunter is very knowledgeable and personable.

I particularly liked how they offer LASIK 3D, which of course is a marketing thing, but really did mean 2 things. They use fancy expensive cameras to take 3D images of the eye. This helps to see if you are in fact a good candidate for LASIK, or if you would have major issues down the road. Because of this diagnostic tool, they actually turn down a lot more people as candidates than most other LASIK places. They want to be sure you’re a perfect candidate and will get great results!

A fancy picture of my eye for 3D LASIK by Hunter Vision.

Side view of my eyeball.

The other thing with 3D LASIK is the type of laser they use. It’s built to retain the natural curvature of your eye as much as possible, which especially helps someone like me with a really bad prescription. This also helps reduce night “light halos,” which is a common side effect people experience for a few months after.

LASIK COST

One of the questions I get asked the most is, “how much does LASIK cost?” Well, I have to tell you that it really depends! I looked at a few clinics, and they all had different options. Mainly, the difference in cost was associated with whether you wanted an “eye warranty” and for how long. They also price per eye, and averages range between $1,500 – $3,000 per eye.

I also had to buy prescribed drops, which is standard with any LASIK surgery. This helps with inflammation, healing, and dry eyes – Restasis eyedrops, Refresh Plus eyedrops, and to some other prescription drops be exact. Even with insurance, these drops still added up to over $200 (I think it was over $600 without), so something you should account for when anticipating costs.

DAY OF PROCEDURE

I have to say, I got really nervous the day of surgery when I realized they were actually going to be cutting my eyeball now (gulp)! In fact, the night before I almost cancelled, but instead decided to eat myself into an Italian food coma so the day would come quicker.

You aren’t allowed to wear any makeup on surgery day either, as well as any eye makeup for the next week. If you’ve read my review on my favorite mascara, you’ll know that was a tough one to swallow!

The day of, I went into the office and they gave me numbing eye drops and half a Valium to calm any nerves.

Dr. Hunter also told me a few key things to expect during surgery. Boy am I glad he did, otherwise I think I would have freaked out during certain parts! Here’s what he told me and exactly what happened.

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING SURGERY

They work on one eye at a time, and it literally takes only a few minutes to complete. You’re done with the entire surgery in about 20 minutes.

They use this thing to keep your top and bottom eyelids open while they’re working on that eye. It felt weird, but not nearly as weird as I expected.

They use a tool to hold your eyeball in place. He told me I would feel pressure on that eyeball, and then temporarily lose vision in that eye. That’s exactly what happened, which was kind of strange since you know your eye is wide open. It honestly just felt like it was closed the whole time, so no biggie there.

The next step is the laser. He rolled me over to another machine (I stayed reclined in the same chair), and the laser part took about 10-15 seconds. Super quick! All you do during this part is look at a green light, and you don’t feel anything. The only thing you will notice is a smell like a firework. Dr. Hunter forewarned me about this, and told me it’s something that happens when the laser actually hits the air…it’s NOT your eyeball burning.

Check it out for yourself. My hubby was present during the surgery, and took a video of my LASIK procedure!

SUCCESS! I was soooo relieved and HAPPY when I was done. Can you tell?

AFTER LASIK

Immediately after this picture was taken, I could already see better than before. My eyes were still numb from the numbing drops, but things were definitely less blurry! I also got some “super cool” shades to wear for the day. 🙂

I was tasked with putting in some prescription drops for the next week, along with those awesome Refresh Plus Eyedrops for the rest of surgery day every 15 minutes. Those things are awesome, and I still use them! Even if you don’t have LASIK, I recommend these drops as it dramatically helps with dry eyes and redness on a daily basis.

I’m not going to say that everything from there was rosy, because it definitely got worse when the numbing drops wore off. It never really hurt, just more watery eye irritation and my vision got blurry again. The best way to describe it is if you’ve ever scratched your eye before, or worn a contact lens that was ripped or inside out. That kind of irritation lasted for about an hour, but I found the Refresh Plus Eyedropsreally helped the irritation. Then there was a moment when I guess the “eye flap” seals itself (about an hour or so after surgery), and you immediately feel relief! From there, things just continue to get better throughout the day, and your vision improves. By the end of the night, my vision was amazingly clear but still a little blurry at a distance.

They give you plastic eye barriers to tape over your eyes when you sleep for the next few days. You aren’t supposed to rub/touch your eyes, and this helps prevent that while sleeping. The next morning, I woke up and could see the alarm clock! So weird! My vision (thank God) was perfect.

There was a post-op appt. the next day, and everything looked good. I actually was better than 20/20, I was 20/15! I setup a 3 month, 6 month, and year followup appointment.

SIDE EFFECTS

There are typically 2 common side effects from LASIK. The first is halos around lights, which people particularly experience while driving at night. I had this for literally 2 days after surgery, and it was not even bad then. I don’t experience light halos at all now (maybe the 3D laser really did help), but of course everyone is different.

The second is dry eyes. After surgery, you have to put the Restasis prescription drops in twice a day to help with chronic dryness. Your eyes are healing over the next 6 months, so you will most likely have dry eyes. Along with Restasis, I’m continuing my Refresh Plus Eyedrops. I do experience dry eyes still, and it’s been about 2 months since my surgery. However, Dr. Hunter said that it will get better over the next few months, and I have felt an improvement.

OVERALL

Overall, this is probably the best money I’ve spent! I keep trying to take my contacts out at night, and then realize I’m not wearing them. No more having to run to the store when I run out or forget to pack contact solution, and no worrying about losing a contact lens. If you have anymore questions about my LASIK eye surgery, definitely let me know. Just leave me a comment below or email me and I’ll respond. 🙂

I just want to say a quick “THANK YOU” to Dr. Hunter and his team at Hunter Vision. They really were awesome to work with, and did an amazing job!

Now the question is, should I get non-prescription lenses put back into my Rayban eyeglasses??? I still love them and definitely want the option to wear as an accessory!